Greenwich Academy soccer falls to Hotchkiss

Updated 11:15 pm, Saturday, October 6, 2012

The soccer programs at Greenwich Academy and Hotchkiss are practically mirror images of one another with their physical style of play, attention to detail, and desire to be the best.

Therefore, it's no surprise that these teams are natural rivals who produce terrific matches whenever they step on pitch together. With GA hosting the Bearcats the rivalry did not disappoint as Hotchkiss bested the Gators 3-1 on the strength of two second half scores.

While the result was not what GA (4-3-1) coach Alistair Lonsdale had hoped for, he couldn't fault the effort his team displayed.

"It's always tough to take a loss like this but I honestly never mind losing a game where a great effort was given on our end," Lonsdale said. "But give credit to Hotchkiss for playing hard and executing their game plan today."

It appeared that the teams were going to enter the intermission in a scoreless deadlock when Hotchkiss (6-1) forward Maddy Dwyer headed a loose ball in the net with one second remaining. Despite the momentum Hotchkiss gained with it last second goal, the Gators came roaring out of the gates with a relentless offensive attack in the second half.

The first scoring opportunity for the Gators was a penalty kick by Alex LaMantia that was gobbled up by Hotchkiss keeper Hannah Streng. But to its credit GA kept firing away and was rewarded when Ellie Dempsey delivered a beautiful through pass that found Megan Root in stride. With a flick of her foot the GA sophomore lofted the ball over the charging Streng to even the score at 1-1.

"That goal was a good combination at midfield that lead to a perfect through ball." Root said. "I was just focused on putting the ball into the net because I knew how badly we needed that goal. After that it definitely felt as if the momentum and outlook of the game were in our favor."

The game remained knotted at one goal apiece for over 20 minutes when Hotchkiss defender Jojo Diesel delivered a corner kick that bounced around in front of the GA net before Sarah Wilczynski ripped a shot past Gators goalie Catherine Tubridy to take the lead. The Bearcats would add an insurance goal with less than two minutes remaining off the foot of Amie Dickson.

"I was pleased with how we played, especially in the first 20 minutes of the second half," Lonsdale said. "But in the final 20 minutes we started to panic a bit and hitting too many long balls. We just need to play with the type of solid effort and approach we displayed today as we move forward and good things will happen for us."

"We're in the midst of a two game losing streak but it feels a lot longer than that since the games we've lost have been so close," Rovelli said. "As captains we just need to keep the team positive, practice hard, and lead by example. I feel like we're almost there and that together we will turn this around."

The Gators will look to get back on the winning track when they host Hopkins Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.